By Arret Jatta
The DT Associates of external auditors on Monday briefed the National Assembly select committee of Public Enterprise Committee PEC, on Gambia Ports Authority (GPA) activities reports which revealed that there was no CCTV camera at the office of the cashiers.
“We noted that there was no CCTV camera in the cashier’s office which received significant amounts of cash and check payments from customers including staff loan repayments”, Agie Penda Sankareh the Managing Director of DT Associates told the committee on Monday.
Managing Director Sankareh also explained that they were also concerned about unlimited cash receipts and payments made by the cashier.
According to her, the implication of lack of camera in the cashier’s office increases the risk of pilfering which also limits tracing of evidence in the event of burglary and fraud.
‘Huge cash receipts and payments increase the risk of fraud which could lead to financial losses for the authority,” she added.
Madam Sankareh further told the committee how the absence of petty cash process and control increases the risk of misappropriation of cash during purchase without any relevant and appropriate insurance cover and how it also expose the risk of financial losses in the event there is theft or natural disaster.
Considering the significant amount of cash held by the cashier, she recommended that there should be CCTV camera install in the office of the cashier in order to avert the risk of fraud and theft.
‘Management should reduce the amount of cash held by the cashier’s office by making use of the banking system and other electronic and mobile money services. Customers should be encouraged to pay through the bank,” she advised.